Hollowbody Electric Band will perform a concert adaptation of their rock opera “One Way Trip to Mars” at the Frontier Theater (Fort Andross Mill, Brunswick) starting at 8 p.m. The performance on Jan. 21 will be with a scaled down crew to accommodate the intimate setting of the Frontier, but will include spectacular lighting and video effects.

The multi-media show, in the tradition of The Who’s “Tommy” and David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” premiered at the Chocolate Church in September to standing ovations with a cast and production team of over 50 people. Since that time the show’s creators, Peter Alexander and Johannah Harkness, have added new songs and refined the storyline with the help of dramatist Dennis St. Pierre in preparation for mounting it as a full theatrical production this summer.

Set in the year 2030, the rock opera begins with the story’s hero, Paolo, being chosen as the first human to travel to Mars to set the stage for a human colony that will follow.  But there’s a catch: it will be a one-way trip. In taking on this mission Paolo must leave behind forever everything he holds dear—including his loving wife Cassandra—for he will never be able to return to Earth.

But trouble is brewing. Shortly after he lands on Mars, catastrophic events from global warming and nuclear terrorism on earth cause communication links to go down, and Paolo is left alone and completely cut off from human contact. Meanwhile, just as chaos on Earth closes the window on future missions, the space agency recruits Cassandra to fly to Mars. As Cassandra lifts off from Earth, she does not know if Paolo is still alive, and Paolo does not know that she is on her way to join him.

During the ensuing, interminable months of loneliness Paolo sinks deeper into despair, while Cassandra comes into her own power. Finally, using only manual controls, Cassandra crash lands on Mars, where Paolo finds her. Does Cassandra survive the crash? The opera ends with this and other questions left to your imagination.

Peter Alexander and Johannah Harkness, both as individuals and as a team, make a winning combination; their songs have competed in the Grammys.

Alexander’s musical career has included performances with Chuck Berry, Poco, Tim Hardin, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and other legends of folk and rock music. Harkness, an accomplished artist and songwriter, originally conceived of “One Way Trip to Mars” as a rock opera. She is also a photographer with a degree in photojournalism, has a particular interest in costuming and visual design; she brings a theatrical sensibility to her work.

Tickets are available at the Frontier 207-725-5222 and at www.explorefrontier.com/schedule/music.  More information is also available at www.hollowbody.us.